My Media essay so far!

B321 Analytical Assignment: A comparison of the representation of women in fragrance advertisements from 1920s, 1960s and 2012

I have chosen to compare three different advertisements that span ten decades of fragrance advertising and representation women: La Bohême Vivaudou (print 1920s), No 5 Chanel (print 1960s) and Addict Dior (moving picture 2012).

The first aspect that caught my attention as well as stood out about these three perfume advert was how sophisticated, elegant and glamorous women were in the 1920s and 60s. Contrasting with today’s advertisement in 2012, women aspired to be more openly alluring as well as recognizable and palpable with how noticeable their actions are. Instead, in 2012 women are more relaxed and dress less formal regularly.

La Boheme – Vivaudou (paper print, 1920s)

Vivaudou’s La Bohême depicts a very desirable, glamorous and attractive woman, wearing an evening gown that reveals her long slender white legs and bare arms. Secondly, the advertisement’s framework is theatrical and dramatic, as the fragrance name references a famous opera by Puccini; this reinforces the representation of the woman who is illustrated as preparing to set out for a night of fantasy at the Paris Opera. Finally, she is clearly prosperous and sophisticated, from a high social class, as she is clearly dressed for an elegant night on the town. The text describes the fragrance as ‘exclusive’ and the target audience as ‘discerning’.

The woman’s dress is elegant and formal: she is the embodiment of a chic female of her time; her long royal blue low cut ‘slit’ dress with peacock feathered print, intense short red hair flicked at sides, turban-style jewelled hat, and pale complexion with slightly rouged cheeks and intense red defined lips. Over all, this means that she is lavishly revealing her theatrical and melodramatic style.

Higher class women in early 20^th Century wore vibrant red lipstick. The lipstick would then contrast with their pale skin enhancing their outfit; these features confidently made ladies of the decade stand out from other females, making them seem more glamorous, stylish and mature. Vivid red lipstick was used to emphasize the ‘Cupid’s bow’ of the upper lip and to exaggerate the lower lip as well. This famously created the ‘Rosebud Pout’.

1920’s fashion clearly demarcated itself as the fashion of the modern era. This period became commonly known as the ‘Roaring 20s’. Following the end of the First Word War, art as well as creative expression were slowly coming back into fashion, with it came new, colourful and exotic fabrics and materials such as silk, velvet, chiffon and taffetas. It was an era that developed a sudden increase of affluence, the Harlem Renaissance and with the help of the Suffragettes in the late 19^th Century, came the chance for women to vote.  In the early 20^th Century, wealthy, desirable and attractive women wore a mixture of different styles of dresses and skirts. Until 1925 the waistline of dresses was very low, there after the waistline was nearer to the natural hip. 

Fashion in the 20s is often referred to as revealing, flamboyant and ostentatious. Trends such as bobbed hair, lengthy gem bracelets, floor length ‘slit’ dresses, cloche hats and knee length dresses became positively synonymous with 1920s style and fashion. This made women’s fashion very sexy, chic and contemporary.

From studying the advertisement, it appears that the woman is represented as extremely striking, prominent and slightly rebellious as her right leg and bare foot is on show. She is also pouting as she sprays perfume onto her neck; this gives her an aloof, seductive expression as she isn’t looking directly towards the camera. Elegance and luxury appear to be the trademark of this woman’s style.

The name ‘La Bohême’ is a French meaning referring to an opera. If you are considered bohemian, you are living an extravagant life with no boundaries that exceeds the expectations of other people’s desires

This advertisement is very different to the other two advertisements I chose. For example in this advert the woman is an upper class woman who is poised and erudite. Compared to my second advertisement where the woman is loving and self-assured, the woman in my first advertisement is showy and not self- contained as she wears a revealing ‘slit’ dress. The lady has got her head facing upwards spraying her neck with perfume; this gives you the impression that she is refined and ineffective. She is independent and assertive who is without support of a man therefore she is revealed as being self-governing and free willed. The three bottles located at the bottom right hand-side of the page are yellow opaque glass with yellowy - gold decoration: examples of art-deco design. The woman’s clothing is completely different to Daphne Groeneveld’s in Dior Addict released in 2012. The young woman is young, flirty and fun. Daphne Groeneveld is skipping around St Tropez looking like a young version of the iconic French animal rights activists and actress, Brigitte Bardot. These two advertisements show how women’s representation hasn’t changed in the difference of 90 years. Women are still objects of attraction, allure and male possession.    

No 5 – Chanel (paper print, 1950s)

No 5 – Chanel depicts a woman who is considered a desirable self-confident woman who is gazing into the man’s eyes lovingly and he returns her glance adoringly. Her eye contact is extremely striking as evidence of her self-assurance. Her power is clear from her eyesight, posture and glamour.

For Coco Chanel, the founder of the fashion house, women’s emancipation in the 1950s influenced their fashion style: After the rationing of the war years women were now empowered by the increased choice and range of textiles. ‘A girl should be two things; classy and fabulous. Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening’ – Coco Chanel.  

The 1950s was a period of high affluence when the economy boomed and travel became affordable. These fortified worldwide influences on fashion; Hawaiian textiles were a popular choice to wear in the summer.

Fashion in the 1950s was structured around conformity, style, consumerism and comfort. A woman’s focus was in the home – maintaining the house, rearing children and supporting her husband. Females wore practical clothing for household chores but attractive housedresses were suitable for quick errands such as dropping the children off at school or going shopping. Women wore full skirts, slender pencil skirts and to emphasis their figure and narrowness of the waist, many wore ‘foundation’ garments such as bullet bras, corsets, waist-cinchers and girdles. The hourglass silhouette is now an iconic picture of 1950s fashion. A popular and essential item of clothing for social events was a Cocktail dress; women were expected to wear a hat and gloves outside of the house.

By the late 50s, outrageous backcombed bouffants, beehives, and French pleats led the way for the intricate coiled hairstyles of the 1960s.